I have a Bend-pak 2 post lift and am able to lift my John Deere 420 garden tractor with it without any adapters. I center the tractor like you normally would, then extend the arms with the pads into the center of the wheels as far as they will go. It sounds sketchy but works great. Very solid...
My walls in my shop are 12' 4-1/2" tall. I have a Bend-Pak XP-10ACX and it fit just perfect. This lift is 145" tall. I love this lift and use it almost everyday. I don't think I would have been happy with a lift that I couldn't lift the car all the way.
I have an XP-10ACX which is 145" tall. My ceiling is 148 1/2" tall. I also have fluorescent lights which run perpendicular to the lift. After installation there is less than 1" clearance between the lift and the bulb. I hope this helps.